Speak Up
by Ms. Videl Son
Summary: / HIATUS / Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, “Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata chan alone!” SasuHinaNaru.
1. Fightin' Words

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially _met_ in the series.  
**Rating:** G ( K+ ) – For nothing but fluffy insinuation and a bit of violence against Ichiraku's ramen stand. (Rating subject to change.)  
**Spoilers: **Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary: **Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Here's to the things that need to be said...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter One:** Fightin' Words

"What're you blushing for, Hinata-chan?" Naruto queried, leaning in close to the Hyuuga heiress to diagnose her condition. Hinata stammered and blushed harder.

"N-n-no r-reason, N-Naruto-k-kun," she squeaked, steam rising from her cheeks.

Naruto held a palm to her face, eyebrows drawn together in concern. "Have you caught a cold, Hinata-chan? Hard to believe since you're always wearing that sweater..."

Hinata politely pushed the thoughtful Kyuubi's hand away and averted her eyes from his face. "N-no, I'm f-fine."

"Are you sure?"

"P-p-positive."

"Maybe I should check you out anyway, Hinata-chan," Sakura offered, swallowing her gyouza ( 1 ) with a gulp of tea. "If you're really sick, then you shouldn't let it go untreated. You don't want to spread it to others, do you?"

Hinata's shoulders slumped in defeat. "N-no, Sakura-chan, b-but – "

The pink-haired kunoichi grinned in triumph and chirped, "It's settled, then. You'll come back to the hospital with me after lunch and – "

"She said she wasn't sick, didn't she?"

The three ninja leaned back on their stools to get a better look at the person who had interjected. Sasuke sat at the far end of the counter, ignoring the small bowl of miso ramen before him. His gaze was focused on something in front of him, making it almost seem as if he hadn't spoken at all. His chin rested on his interlaced fingers and hovered above his food, propped up by his elbows on the counter.

"Did you say something, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, fluttering her eyelashes in Sasuke's direction. The Uchiha avenger didn't respond to the overt flirting.

"Hyuuga said she wasn't sick. Leave her alone," Sasuke grunted, blinking once.

Naruto frowned. "We're just worried about her. If she's sick, she needs to go to the doctor."

"But she's not sick. Leave her alone."

"And how do you know, eh? She's all red like she's got a fever!"

Sasuke's eyes finally strayed from whatever it was he had been staring at to fix a cold glare on Naruto. "I just know," he said simply, looking away again.

Naruto began to growl and bare his teeth. "Why...you..."

"A-ano," Hinata interrupted, using her position between Naruto and Sasuke to put a barrier between the two. "Please, d-don't fight. N-not here."

"Jerk," Naruto muttered, resentfully conceding to the Hyuuga heiress' wishes as he returned to his ramen.

"Ahem," Sakura brought attention back to herself, leaning around Naruto to bring herself face to face with Hinata. "I really think you should come back to the hospital with me, Hinata-chan. Just in case."

"W-well..."

"Don't go if you don't want to," Sasuke interrupted again. "Or can't you say what you want to?"

Hinata turned to her right, startled, to find the Uchiha staring right through her. "A-ano..."

"Well? Speak up."

"I...I d-don't..."

Naruto slapped his hand down on the counter, causing his large bowl of ramen to splash broth across the clean surface. The entire restaurant fell into stunned silence for a few seconds. "What is your _problem_, Sasuke? Why are you picking on Hinata-chan? She hasn't done anything to you!"

Sasuke turned his full attention to Naruto over Hinata's shoulder. "This is none of your business, dobe."

"It is so! Hinata-chan is my friend and you're treating her like garbage," the Kyuubi vessel countered, fisting his hands on the counter and ignoring the gossiping patrons around him.

"P-please, s-stop..."

"At least I'm trying to listen to her, which is more than you can say," Sasuke growled, flashing his sharingan at Naruto. He was turned on his stool, one arm draped along the edge of the counter, with his shoulders tensed.

Without hesitation, Naruto leapt off his stool and assumed an offensive stance. "The hell you are! You're just trying to bully her, you bastard!"

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed, yanking on the back of Naruto's orange windbreaker in an attempt to pull him back on his stool. "Stop it! We're in _public_!"

Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!"

A weak smile crept across Hinata's face and the pink tint returned to her cheeks. "N-Naruto-kun..."

There was a scrape of wood against tile as Sasuke got off his stool and assumed a lax fighting stance himself. "I've got nothing to apologize for," he hissed with an acidic tone.

"Then I'm gonna have to beat it outta you!" Naruto proclaimed, taking a step towards Sasuke with battle-ready fists.

"If you can," Sasuke countered, taking a step of his own to meet his teammate in the middle.

"S-stop!"

Both opponents skidded to a halt inches away from Hinata, who had stepped into the vortex of their battle. She held up a placating hand to each, beckoning them to stop.

"Hinata-chan, get out of the way," Naruto insisted. "I need to beat the crap outta this guy for you."

Hinata shook her head defiantly. "N-no. I don't w-want you and S-Sasuke-s-san to f-fight."

Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest, but didn't make any further response.

"Please," Hinata continued, tears clinging to her eyelashes. "I'm f-fine. Y-you don't n-need to f-fight for m-me."

Sakura blinked in awe at the scene from her seat, frozen on the edge of her stool from where she had been about to slide off. "Hinata-chan..."

"Feh," Sasuke snorted, turning on his heel toward the exit. Lifting the cloth above the door out of his way, he called over his shoulder, "Fine. I'm leaving."

Naruto lowered his hands to hang limply at his sides as he stared after his rogue teammate. With eyes widened to the size of ramen bowls, he turned to Sakura and groaned, "What was _that _all about?"

Sakura shrugged, absolutely bewildered.

Hinata watched the disturbed material hanging above the entryway ripple in the wake of Sasuke's exit, chewing fretfully on her lip. She didn't know why, but she got the feeling that the entire situation went beyond her inability to refuse Naruto and Sakura. It was almost as if Sasuke had already been upset about something before this entire episode, though she couldn't begin to fathom what that "something" might be.

"Maybe I s-should ap-pologize to Sasuke-s-san..." she concluded, taking a step toward the doorway.

— — —

**Authors Notes:** Just a quick fic for a sudden whim. Un-beta'd.

Be sure to look for the "meaning within meaning" in the dialogue I used. Is Sasuke really referring to his current stimulus? Or is he reaching back further?

Oh, and picture these characters as adult. I had to base this fic post-Orochimaru in order to fit the Sakura/hospital details in there. Other than that, I don't have any specific timeline requirements.

—

**Footnotes:**

( 1 ) Gyouza – pot stickers/dumplings. A relatively common menu item at casual restaurants in Japan as either appetizers or main courses. They can come steamed or fried and with different fillings (pork, chicken, veggies, etc) and some sort of dipping sauce, which is often reminiscent of soy sauce. They're pretty tasty, actually; I get them at a sushi place near my house all the time.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	2. Speak to Me

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially _met_ in the series.  
**Rating:** G ( K+ ) – For nothing but fluffy insinuation and a bit of violence against Ichiraku's ramen stand.(Rating subject to change.)  
**Spoilers: **Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary: **Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Back by popular demand...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Two:** Speak to Me

"W-wait!" Hinata squeaked, pushed backwards by a rude shoulder as she attempted to fight her way through the midday Konoha crowd. She reached out to the dark figure making quick and confident progress through the multitude of people, but he moved further and further away from her into the distant miasma of winter coats. "S-Sasuke-san! Please, w-wait!"

The dark figure ahead didn't stop, didn't even pause to look back, but continued to fight his way through the masses and away from his pursuer. He wove through the crowd without difficulty or mercy, practically pushing others out of his way as he made his escape.

Hinata's breath visibly bloomed from her lips in flowers of mist as she wormed her way through the crowd. The blossoms shattered into a thousand little wisps of cloud and vanished, absorbed by the November cold. Hinata's voice, carried by the petals of warm breath, floated above the bustling crowd and wasted away with her half-hearted attempts to grab her quarry's attention. "S-Sasuke-san..."

The fan on Sasuke's back flitted to and fro amongst the people as he dodged left and right through any opening, almost taunting her by giving her something to reach for while staying well out of her grasp. Hinata may have imagined it, but she could have sworn that the symbol gave her a cheeky wave as Sasuke was finally absorbed into the hoarde.

In desperation and out of breath, she finally cried, "_Sasuke-san_!" as loudly as she could, stumbling to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Hinata stumbled to the side as she was shoved out of someone's way, thrown into the rough wall of the nearest building. "Ah!" she squealed, clenching her eyes shut as her body suffered impact with the coarse brick. Her head bounced once against the stone and she slid down to her knees, unable to support herself.

Hinata held her palm to her forehead where the throbbing was the most intense, applying pressure in the hopes that it might alleviate the dizzy wave of nausea that was overtaking her. The area beneath her hand felt strangely warm compared to the rest of her body, though she couldn't fathom why that might matter.

"Serves you right, you id – _Augh_!"

Hinata jumped as the person who had shoved her suddenly landed in a heap beside her, crumpled and whimpering in pain. The numbing effect that had been a symptom of her own injury lifted as the newer, stronger feeling of surprise overwhelmed it.

"Serves you right, idiot," a cold voice sneered just before a heavy, boot-clad foot came down upon the rude person's head.

Hinata squeaked and moved away from the assault, drawing her knees up against her body for rudimentary protection.

The attacker removed his foot from the man's skull and stepped closer to Hinata. In reflexive fear, the Hyuuga heiress flattened herself against the building and activated her Byakugan, hoping that it might be enough to scare him away. As he squatted down to her level, Hinata instantly and visibly relaxed.

"You alright?"

The veins around her eyes were reabsorbed into her face as Hinata deactivated her blood limit and forced a wavering smile. "I-I think so, S-Sasuke-san."

Though his cornea were tinted slightly red around the rims, Sasuke observed her with his usual dark, stoic calm, roving his probing gaze over her figure. "You're bleeding," he noted, reaching out to brush her bangs away from her injury.

"I-I am?" Hinata asked, cutting off his hand to feel her injury herself. She brought her fingers down to properly inspect them and found his assertion to be true. "I g-guess I am."

"Does anything else hurt?" Sasuke continued, using his rejected hand to tilt her face up by the chin. He positioned her head to his liking as he searched for injuries, guiding her gently from side to side.

Hinata felt more blood rise to her face. "N-no," she stammered, forcing her eyes to look down.

"Look at me," Sasuke demanded.

"A-ano...I..."

"_Look at me_," he insisted again, this time with less patience. He lifted her face so that he could intercept her gaze with a red-tinged glare. "I need to check for a concussion. Let me see your eyes."

Ensnared as she was in his web, Hinata gulped and did as she was told. "O-okay..."

Sasuke leaned in close, brushing the tip of his nose against hers, and stared unblinkingly into Hinata's eyes. "I don't think you have a concussion," he concluded finally, though he didn't release either her face or her eyes from his influence. "But you might want to go to the hospital. Sakura could diagnose you better than me."

"Y-yes, Sasuke-s-san," Hinata said, finally allowing herself to blink. The tips of her eyelashes brushed his nose in the barest of butterfly kisses.

"Sorry for not turning around sooner," Sasuke breathed against her mouth. Their thick clouds of breath mingled between them to the point that they were indistinguishable from one another. "I couldn't hear you."

"O-oh..."

Sasuke's head tilted a little to the right. "Does anything still hurt...?"

"Um..."

It was odd, but Hinata couldn't hear the loud hum of voices from the marketplace any longer, only the steady rhythm of Sasuke's breathing and the fluttering beat of her own heart. Everything was becoming all muddled again, but somehow...clear at the same time. While the world around her was dissolving in a haze, the man moving closer to her by the second was as vivid to her as if she were using the Byakugan...

Sasuke's eyes drifted closed and Hinata became vaguely aware of what was coming next. Just as darkness obscured her consciousness, she felt a plush warmth swallow her lips.

— — —

**Authors Notes: **Oh fu – er, crap. I think I've started an epic

Lord, save my sanity. FACEPALM

I'll probably fix some things later and re-post. Un-beta'd.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	3. Say My Name

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially _met_ in the series.  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – For nothing but fluffy insinuation, a bit of violence against Ichiraku's ramen stand and a couple naughty words here or there. (**NOTE:** Rating has gone up. I added a P to the G.)  
**Spoilers: **Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary: **Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Maybe I finished it this time...

* * *

**Chapter Three:** Say My Name

Other than the vein throbbing in his forehead, Sasuke showed no outer signs of vexation. Inside, however, the Uchiha avenger was roiling with irritation; just how many girls were going to faint in his arms before he died?

'_Too many_,' was the number he had already calculated. Shifting the unconscious Hinata to rest more naturally in the crook of his elbow, Sasuke sighed. He supposed this girl couldn't help it, what with having a bloody lump on her forehead that (presumably) had given her a concussion.

It really figured, though; the single time he had proactively kissed a girl, she passed out. More than likely, she wouldn't even remember his thwarted attempt when she woke up, thus giving his pride a permanent limp.

Still, Sasuke concluded, it was probably for the best that Hinata wouldn't remember their sort of-kiss. At least that way he would be the only one with knowledge of the half-baked endeavor.

"Nng..."

Well, the idiot that had pushed Hinata into the wall might know something, but Sasuke highly doubted that he would say anything. Not if he valued the use of his diaphragm, at least.

With a quiet coo, Hinata turned into the available pocket of warmth between herself and Sasuke's body. She nuzzled unconsciously against the firm expanse of Sasuke's stomach through his sweatshirt, mumbling a few words that were impossible to understand. They sounded vaguely like "naru" and "toe."

'_Naru-to_.'

The insignificant portion of ramen in Sauske's stomach curdled at the name those two garbled syllables formed. '_Stupid dobe..._,' was the unintended thought that floated over the surface of his mind.

What were the odds that the only tolerable girl in the entire village would be in love with _Naruto_, of all people?

'_Stupid girl_,' Sasuke thought, though he didn't think he really meant it. One glance down at her sleeping face and he knew he didn't mean it, though he wished he did. Life would have been so much easier.

Unfortunately, Sasuke had carried his burden for the Hyuuga girl for so long that he couldn't even fathom giving it up any longer. It had all begun when he was twelve years old, this weird...feeling he harbored for Hinata. That day, such a long time ago that she had probably forgotten, when he had landed right in her –

"Oi! Sasuke!"

Startled, Sasuke tensed his arms around Hinata, pulling her so hard into his chest that she squeaked in discomfort. The Uchiha avenger pivoted on his heels, one arm wrapped protectively around Hinata and the other poised to strike with a kunai, and relaxed when he recognized the two brightly-colored figures trotting towards him.

"Sasuke! What the hell happened?" Naruto demanded, skidding to a halt so quickly that he lost his balance. With a curse, he tipped over and landed on top of the pedestrian that Sasuke had beaten for Hinata.

"_Unngh_!" the man groaned.

Naruto ignored him. "Where the hell did you – Ahh! What did you do to Hinata, you pervert?" the kyuubi screeched, reaching out to snatch the Hyuuga heiress away from the Uchiha.

With a well-placed punch to the jaw, Sasuke prevented the action, sending Naruto falling over backwards. The man beneath him whimpered pitifully. "Nothing, dobe," Sasuke snarled, holding the heiress closer.

"Then why is she – ?"

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" Sakura panted, finally catching up to the group sitting around in the middle of the sidewalk. She stopped herself with more control than Naruto, propping herself up with her hands on her knees. "What...happened?"

"_Nothing_," Sasuke intoned in a harsh, impatient voice.

After returning his kunai to the pouch on his thigh, Sasuke slipped his right arm beneath Hinata's knees and pulled her entire body up against his torso. With an almost imperceptible grunt, Sasuke stood, bringing the Hyuuga heiress up with him.

Taking a step forward, he demanded, "Move."

Sakura backed up a few feet, giving her long-time love interest a wide berth. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm taking her to the hospital," Sasuke mumbled, careful to step on the man he had wounded on his way past his two former teammates.

Ignoring their wide-eyed and open-mouthed expressions, the Uchiha avenger stalked away down the street, bumping innocent bystanders out of his way as he went.

When he was no more than a few hundred yards away, he could hear Naruto scream in unrestrained outrage, "_Then what the fucking hell were we fighting about? SASUKE-TEME_!"

— — —

**Authors Notes: **Nope, not finished. Another sort of idea popped in my head while I was in the shower (that's right; fantasize at your own risk!) that I might use, but that might take a few more chapters to develop (I can see you pumping your fist in the air, you know. Stop that!) Said idea wil involve a bit more of the NaruHina angle, which should make the story more interesting. I'm going to add a bit more NaruHina anyway, but...We'll just see how everything works out, ne?

Next, I fully intend to write in either Naruto or Sakura's POV; haven't decided which yet. I guess you'll find out.

Wow, I'm doing pretty good with this whole "updating" thing so far...let's see how long it will last n.n; Keep your fingers crossed and your thoughts happy!

Once again, completely un-beta'd. I'll probably get around to that when I've finished the story, but we'll see. My grammar isn't that bad, anyway...right? n.n;

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	4. Tell Me

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially _met_ in the series.  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – For nothing but fluffy insinuation, a bit of violence against Ichiraku's ramen stand and a couple naughty words here or there.  
**Spoilers: **Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary: **Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Boo.

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**Chapter 4: **Tell Me

"Well? Well? What does it say?" Naruto wheedled in his most obnoxious whine, sneaking a peek over Sakura's shoulder at the clipboard that she clenched in her hands.

The pink-haired healer backhanded his nose with a merciless fist. "If you'd give me a minute to read it, I'd tell you! Idiot."

Naruto cupped his hands over his bleeding nose and whimpered pitifully, "You're so mean, Sakura-chan!"

"Hmph."

Sakura lifted the top sheet out of her way to read the next page, scanning her green eyes quickly over the information for what she sought. She found it near the bottom, right next to the patient's allergy warnings.

"Minor concussion...heart rate, chakra levels and blood pressure all stable...Seems like she's perfectly fine except for being unconscious," Sakura summarized absently, half talking to Naruto, half only to herself. "She'll probably wake up within the hour, according to the healer notes."

Naruto bounded to his feet, his own injury already healed. "So Hinata-chan's alright?"

"Yeah, except for the bump on her head," Sakura confirmed, dropping the computer-generated paper back into its place and returning the medical chart to its slot on the wall. "She's in room 402, but not receiving visitors. We'll have to wait and see her until tomorrow."

The kyuubi's face fell at the bad news and he began to pout. His lip quivered as he fixed Sakura with his biggest, bluest puppy-dog eyes and whimpered, "But...Sakura-chan..."

Sakura's heart thumped an extra time, causing a stutter in her heartbeat. Reluctantly embarrassed, she looked away from her long-time teammate with a warm blush on her cheeks. "Fine, I'll see if I can get us in. I know the nurse that runs the fourth floor, she might help us."

As she half-expected, two warm arms looped themselves around her neck and pulled her against a solid body thrumming with excited energy. With her cheek flush against his, Sakura was sure that Naruto would be able to feel the heat radiating from her face, but he didn't seem to notice. "Ahh, Sakura-chan, you're the best!"

_Crack._

Sakura stood over Naruto, her elbow planted in the crown of his skull, face as pink as her hair. "Knock it off, stupid. We're here to see Hinata-chan."

—

"I'm just saying, you didn't have to hit me so hard," Naruto moaned, rubbing the bump hidden beneath his unruly blond hair.

"Hmph," Sakura snorted, not bothering to turn around and reply. The tint in her face had subsided somewhat, but she could still feel a little heat lingering in the rounded crest of her cheeks. Until Sakura was absolutely sure that there was no remaining trace of her strange feelings left in her expression, she fully intended to act like she was too angry to look at the battered kyuubi trailing along behind her.

Sakura turned a sharp corner into another whitewashed hallway and picked up a rapid pace. She followed the room numbers along the right side of the corridor, mentally keeping track of the numerals.

396...398...400...

...402. Right in the middle of the hall with two guards blocking the door.

'_Figures_,' Sakura thought, halting in front of them to grope through her purse for her hospital ID.

Naruto stopped himself in the nick of time, balanced on his tiptoes mere inches away from Sakura's back as he fought to regain his equilibrium. He reached out and grabbed hold of the pink-haired kunoichi's shoulders and balanced himself, sighing softly in relief. His breath tickled the shell of Sakura's left ear, "Heh, sorry, Sakura-chan."

Sakura swatted his hands away, forcing Naruto back a few steps, and went back to retrieving her ID with a rekindled flame in her cheeks. "Watch it," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth. In a louder voice intended for the guards, Sakura commanded their attention, "We're here to see Hyuuga-san."

"Hinata-sama isn't seeing anymore visitors," the guard nearest to her intoned in a dull, muffled voice. The ANBU mask covering his face complemented his stern attitude with an unyielding glare.

Pulling her identification out of the depths of her handbag, Sakura flashed it at him. "I'm a healer. I've come to check on Hyuuga-san's condition."

"Her healer was here only a few minutes ago," the same ANBU guard replied. He hadn't moved a single millimeter since the two visitor's arrival.

"I'm Tsunade-sama's apprentice," Sakura said, adopting her haughtiest air and shoving her ID right into the ANBU's face. "As Hyuuga-san is a high-priority patient, it's my duty to make sure that she's receiving the best possible care. Let us through."

Through the minuscule slits that served as eye holes, Sakura could see the guard scanning her card carefully. "Very well," he finally said after a few extended seconds of impatience. "But be quick about it. Hinata-sama requires rest."

"Fine," Sakura snapped, slipping her ID back into her purse. "Come on, Naruto," she beckoned, waving her hand at him over her shoulder.

The guards dutifully stepped out of their way and allowed them entrance. The second, silent guard held the door open for them and waited for them to pass before pulling it closed behind them, blocking out any other meddlers that should happen to pass by.

"You're so awesome, Sakura-chan," Naruto grinned, looking over his shoulder at the closed door with cheerful pride. "Those idiots didn't know what hit them!"

An unintended smile curled Sakura's lips. "Thanks."

"What are you two doing here?"

Sakura literally jumped a couple inches off the floor as she spun around to face the intruder, her heart beating at an awkward pace. "S-Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-teme?" Naruto lowered the kunai he had drawn and relaxed his stance, though he didn't move from his position between the lone Uchiha and Sakura.

On the opposite side of the bed that held the slumbering Hinata was Sasuke, leaning against the wall with his usual bland expression of distaste. His head was lowered, but his eyes were raised to gaze at them with implied curiosity.

"Ho-how did you get in here, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura finally found the words to ask, pressing a hand over her stuttering heart. "There are guards outside the door."

"I snuck in," Sasuke shrugged, his folded arms lifting and dropping back into place in the same motion.

"Okay...," Sakura raised a carefully penciled eyebrow in confusion. "Why?"

Again, Sasuke shrugged. "They wouldn't let me in."

"Why did you _want_ to sneak in, then?" Naruto growled, obviously losing patience with the Uchiha's circular logic.

Sasuke averted his eyes to the corner. "None of your business."

Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the Uchiha, shouting, "Why are you being so fucking _weird_ today? Did someone slip something funny in your ramen, or what?"

Sakura reached out and grabbed Naruto around the neck, covering his mouth with one of her hands. "Shh! Naruto, do you want to get us kicked out of here?"

Naruto's reply was muffled by Sakura's palm, "Noh."

_Knock, knock, knock._

"What's going on in there?" one of the guards called through the door, an edge of suspicion to his tone.

"N-Nothing!" Sakura called sweetly, tightening her grip on Naruto's neck. He gurgled a little, but remained otherwise silent.

"If there's a problem..."

"No!" Sakura was beginning to panic. She darted a look at Sasuke, who had no right to even be in the room with them in the first place, and then to Hinata, who's face was suddenly scrunched in discomfort. The monitor tracking her heartbeat picked up a sharp, fast beat while her chakra level spiked. "Really, everything's fine!"

The doorknob began to rattle and turn, implying that the ANBU outside hadn't believed her.

Dropping Naruto as fast as she could, Sakura raced to the door and intercepted it as it began to open, preventing the guards from coming fully inside. Glancing back one more time at Sasuke, who hovered anxiously between Hinata and the window, Sakura bit her lip. '_What could he be thinking...?_'

"Open the door!"

Sakura shook the thought away, pulling back the door just enough to slip her body through. "Just wait a second, I'm coming!"

Deciding to ponder the unforseen connection between Sasuke and Hinata later, Sakura stepped outside to do a bit of damage control.

— — —

**Authors Notes:** Happy Halloween. I updated, so don't show up at my door asking for candy.

Sorry that my chapters are so short; I either write short chapters and update or write long chapters and stop updating. I'm not skimping on details, or anything, so don't worry about that. Just think of all the chapters posted thus far as one long chapter and you'll see exactly what I usually post.

Yep, there were a few hints of NaruSaku in there and just a touch of one-sided SasuSaku right there at the end. I don't think anything fully developed will come of the former, but I like the pairing and felt I should stick it in there. Makes Sakura a little less pathetic.

Hope this cliffhanger is up to your standards, Missminnie08 n.n

As usual, un-beta'd. Sorry about that, too.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	5. Admit It

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially _met_ in the series.  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – For nothing but fluffy insinuation, a bit of violence against Ichiraku's ramen stand and a couple naughty words here or there.  
**Spoilers: **Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary: **Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Sorry, it gets a little cliche from here.

* * *

**Chapter 5: **Admit It

It was one of those awkward silences that seemed to have no comfortable solution. One that lasted seconds, but felt easily like it stretched into minutes or hours. It was almost like the air that lay between them thrummed with the words that they were both too embarrassed to speak...

"So...," Naruto started the conversation with little cough. He stared out the window, intentionally looking anywhere but Sasuke.

Sasuke grunted, "So, what?"

"Did you...what...?"

"Spit it out, dobe."

Naruto chanced a glance at his rogue teammate out of his peripheral vision. "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke, still leaning stiff shoulders against the wall on the opposite side of the room, met his eyes for a few brief moments before looking away again. "Visiting."

"Before visiting hours...?"

Naruto flinched a little at the acerbic glare sent his way. "Yes."

Silence reigned again, this time with a seething energy.

Naruto had never claimed to be the brightest shinobi – the strongest, most daring, and coolest, perhaps – but he knew (eventually) when something wasn't quite right. And if there was one subject that he was an expert on, it was his friends. The fact that Sasuke was acting so out of character meant...something.

"Nng..."

Sasuke leapt away from the wall, looking almost startled as opposed to...well, the way he always looked. The grim expression of vague disinterest wavered as he approached the hospitalized Hyuuga, taking proper precaution not to wake her completely.

Hinata squirmed beneath the sheets, clenching and unclenching her fists as if she were staving off a great deal of pain. She scrunched up her face as she whimpered, muttering words that Naruto couldn't make out from his distance, and bit her lip. Any idiot could tell she was having a nightmare.

"Hyuuga...," Sasuke called out to her in a breathless whisper, leaning over the bed railing to get a better vantage of the situation. He licked his lips as his eyes glided down her body and back up again. "Hyuuga, wake up."

Hinata didn't respond as requested and, instead, turned away from the helpless Uchiha onto her side and curled up like a fetus. She covered her head with her arms and began to shake like she was sobbing.

Naruto took an initiative step toward the bed, though he wasn't at all sure what he could do to help. After all, no one ever soothed his bad dreams away.

The kyuubi watched as Sasuke leaned further forward over the bed until he was hovering directly above Hinata, close enough for his breath to disturb the wispy knots of flyaway hair that sprouted from her head. His exhalations were heavy and fast, almost as if he had been running laps around the girl instead of standing next to her.

The Uchiha relieved one of his hands of the burden of holding up his upper body by removing it from the bed railing and brought it out before him, quivering and tentative. "Shh...," he breathed into the shell of her ear as his hand finally made contact. With slow, almost shy motions, he stroked the hand over her forehead and down the length of her hair, hissing condolences in her ear.

Hinata began to calm slowly. Though she didn't unfurl herself from her position, her body became less tense and more at ease as Sasuke trailed the palm of his hand from the side of her face to the base of her neck over and over again.

Though Naruto had thought he'd known his friend better, he couldn't help but sense that this petting was...affectionate. A form of endearment. _Loving_.

A tingle crept up Naruto's spine at the thought; Sasuke? _Loving_? '_That's way too gross to even **think** about..._,' the kyuubi vessel decided, shivering again for good measure.

Watching his dark, creepy, too-cool-for-the-hoardes-of-girls-that-chase-him-around friend _petting_ Hyuuga Hinata – one of the only girls in the entire village who had never shown any obsessive, sadistic tendencies towards him – was almost too much for Naruto to sto –

As if the proverbial lightbulb had suddenly flickered to life above Naruto's head, he came to a (rather startling) conclusion; '_Sasuke...**likes**...Hinata_.'

Sasuke didn't look away from the comforted Hinata until Naruto collapsed to the floor, shaking an accusing finger at the out-of-character avenger. "YOU LIKE HINATA!" he screeched, scooting away from the bed by propelling his feet against the floor and sliding on his hindquarters.

The sound of Sakura's voice through the closed door – which had been constant since her departure a few minutes beforehand – was suddenly absent in the background.

Naruto had a split-second glimpse of Sasuke's eyes wide as saucers before he was pinned to the floor, an unnecessarily strong hand clamped over his mouth, and he got to see them up close.

"_Shut the hell up, dobe_!" Sasuke hissed, throwing a wary glance over his shoulder. Naruto snuck a peek from beneath the Uchiha's arm; Hinata had rolled over again, but there was nothing about the steady rise and fall of her chest that suggested she had woken up.

"Mmph...," Naruto attempted to say through Sasuke's hand.

Sakura's voice started squawking again, this time at an unusually high pitch. "Scream? What scream?" she screeched, the laugh that followed verging on maniacal.

"Don't scream like that, you moron!" Sasuke whispered, flicking his eyes to the door where they could hear the ANBU asking Sakura if she needed a healer.

"Buph...," Naruto, fed up with trying to relay his words through the filter of Sasuke's hand, slid his tongue out from between his lips and washed the Uchiha's palm with his own saliva. Repulsed, Sasuke pulled back, staring at his hand as if it had developed a deadly rash. Naruto took the opportunity to speak freely, "But it's true! You do like Hinata-chan, don't you?"

"What the hell makes you think that, dobe?" Sasuke growled, wiping his hand on the front of Naruto's shirt before rolling off his chest. He settled on the floor a couple feet away, still looking a little ill.

"Well...," Naruto began, glancing at Hinata one more time to make sure that she was, indeed, still asleep. Finding her even breathing and untroubled face satisfactory, he continued, "The way you were..._petting_ her was pretty...erm...well, you know."

Sasuke didn't look at Naruto as he answered, "It wasn't like that. My mother used to..._pet_ me when I woke up from a nightmare. That's all."

"Yeah, okay, but then why did you sneak in here in the first place?" Naruto asked, finding yet another fact to support his case from Sasuke's odd behavior. "It's not like you ever visit me or Sakura when we get hurt."

"_You_," Sasuke spat, "heal almost instantly and Sakura is a medic-nin. That's completely different."

"How about that weird fight we had in Ichiraku?" Naruto was beginning to feel a bit queasy with how much evidence stacked up against Sasuke.

Knowing that his best friend had been crushing on Hinata all day made Naruto wonder how when it had started. A week ago? A year? Could Sasuke have been obsessing over Hinata for even longer...? There was no way of knowing the feelings of a guy who'd had a stick up his ass since before puberty. Besides, Naruto didn't think he wanted to delve too far back into history for more proof. He was close to losing his ramen already.

Swallowing a rising tide of bile, Naruto finished his thought. "We don't fight over Sakura like that. Well," he amended, "you don't."

His own argument inspired another bulb to flick on above his head, this one burning with more brilliancy than the last; if Sasuke liked Hinata, then that meant he didn't like Sakura. If he didn't like Sakura, then that meant that Sakura didn't have a chance. If Sasuke were to start dating Hinata, then Sakura would realize that she was wasting her time on Sasuke and run right...to...

'_Me!_' Naruto's inner voice cheered, dancing around in a party hat with fireworks bursting behind him. '_If I set up Sasuke with Hinata, then Sakura will have no choice but to settle for – I mean, fall in love with **me**!_'

Sasuke was taking more time to come up with a counter-argument this time, adding more proof to the already enormous pile of evidence supporting Naruto's theory. In the end, Sasuke only managed to snort, "Feh."

With a Cheshire grin spread across his face, Naruto bounced in place with ecstatic energy. He wasted no time in inquiring, "So, you gonna ask her out, or what?"

"Why should I?" Sasuke demanded, a startled flush bleeding onto his cheeks. In his usual way, he broke eye contact with Naruto and stared elsewhere in a vain attempt to avoid the issue. "It's not like I want to."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, one eyebrow lifted in disbelief. "You don't?"

"Do you have fur in your ears, dobe?" Sasuke burned his gaze to the wall. Naruto could have sworn that he saw a few paint chips flake off and fall to the floor, scorched at the edges. "I said I wasn't interested."

Naruto looked to Hinata; cute face, pretty hair, huge boo – er, eyes. She seemed alright to him. Turning back to Sasuke, Naruto had to ask, "Why not?"

Sasuke drew one knee up to his chest and draped an arm over it in an obvious attempt to seem like his usual aloof self. "None of your business."

Naruto recoiled with a dramatic expression of disgust. "You're not _gay_, are you?"

Sasuke's eyes opened wide before he snarled, "_No_! What the hell makes you think that?"

"Well, after you've been chased by so many girls for so long without ever dating any of them, a guy starts to wonder – "

"I'm _not_ gay," Sasuke repeated firmly.

Naruto exhaled a sigh of relief. "Good, cause I want you to know that I don't swing that – "

A finalizing punch to the jaw silenced the rest of the words that Naruto had been intending to say. "God, you never shut up, do you?" Sasuke grunted, withdrawing his fist.

Naruto sat back up, rubbing the blackening patch on his face. "So why don't you want to date Hinata-chan, then? It's not like she's taken, or anything," the kyuubi vessel reasoned, hoping for the sake of his functioning organs that neither Kiba nor Shino had made some type of move without him knowing about it. "I mean, yeah, she's not exactly my type, but she's not bad to look at. And I hear that some guys like the innocent, virginal thing."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into a glare that promised a painful death.

Naruto waved his hands around placatingly and backpedaled, "N-not that I think you're going to take advantage of Hinata-chan, or anything." '_I hope not, anyway_.'

"Look, I'm not interested in dating _any _girls. They're annoying, selfish, psychotic and a complete waste of time," Sasuke said, as if this settled the matter entirely. "A girl would get in the way of my training."

Naruto ventured to speak on Hinata's behalf, "But Hinata-chan isn't – "

"Besides," Sasuke interrupted, glaring hard at a spot on the floor. "She likes...someone else."

"Really? Who?"

"No one."

"But you just said..."

"Never mind."

"Um...okay, in that case, I still don't see the problem," Naruto scratched his head, utterly confused. "Every girl in this village would be willing to bow down and lick your shoes for a date. Hell, they might even agree to date _me_ for a chance to go out with you!"

For some reason, Sasuke shifted his glare to fix upon Naruto. The burning desire to beat, strangle and eviscerate the kyuubi vessel swirled around in his irises just like the marks of the Sharingan.

Naruto's smile stretched into a grin; the jealousy thing seemed to be the way to go.

"You know, now that I look at her without that sweater on...," Naruto trailed off suggestively, sliding mischievous blue eyes over to the girl sleeping soundly on the bed. He allowed his ogling stare to linger on the hefty endowments that jiggled on her chest whenever she exhaled. Man, that gown was paper thin! (All the better to see her in.) "Hinata-chan's pretty cute. If you don't want her, maybe I should – "

With one hand, Sasuke reached out and grabbed Naruto by the front of his windbreaker, dragging him forward so that they were nose-to-nose with each other. "_No_," Sasuke growled, his eyes flickering from black to red for a brief moment.

"That's what I thought," Naruto grinned, his whiskers twitching triumphantly. "So, are you going to ask her out before she leaves the hospital or wait until she gets out?"

With a frustrated snarl, Sasuke threw Naruto backwards to land flat on his back. "Will you drop this stupid idea of yours? I have no interest in fraternizing with some girl."

Naruto slid his body closer to Sasuke, cupping his hand around his mouth to whisper, "Don't tell me that the heartthrob of Konoha is afraid of asking a girl for a date...?" He waggled his eyebrows at Sasuke, snickering openly.

The Uchiha avenger's cheeks lit up in a light blush. "Shut up."

"Don't worry, I'll help," Naruto offered, slapping a hand to his chest as if he were giving Sasuke a solemn vow. "Unlike you, I've had to _work_ for my girls."

"Tch," Sasuke snorted, wrinkling his nose in a sneer. "What do _you_ know about women?"

"You forget, I'm the number one student of the pervy-senin," Naruto's grin was luminescent in the overhead florescent lighting. "He knows _everything _about babes!"

"...I'm filled with such confidence."

— — —

**Authors Notes: **Seriously, you're not getting more than ten chapters out of me (if that). I really mean it this time.

This chapter is a little longer than usual, probably because it's the most pivotal part of the plot. Yeah, I'm going in the cliche matchmaker direction, but I figure it's twisted enough to be somewhat original; Naruto's only helping to get Sasuke out of the game for Sakura's heart, Jiraiya's "techniques" will be involved, and who knows how Sakura's going to be dealing with all of this...

Shoot me if I'm being too unoriginal. There's no point in living if I am. (No, just kidding; I value myself for more than just fanfiction.)

Sadly, this chapter is also un-beta'd.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .** _

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	6. Don't Say That

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially _met_ in the series.  
**Rating:** G ( K+ ) – For nothing but fluffy insinuation and a bit of violence against Ichiraku's ramen stand. (Rating subject to change.)  
**Spoilers: **Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary: **Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Updating in the face of adversity.

* * *

**Chapter 6:** Don't Say That

As she waded in the murky darkness of half-consciousness, Hinata struggled to ignore the frightening images that lurked in the shadows of her mind. They flitted across the veil of her eyelids, causing her to shrink away from her own subconscious.

All of the figures that haunted her nightmares were human, or at least spiritual representations of them. The outlines of their bodies were solidified by the bright, hazy light that emanated from them, reminiscent of the traditional Christian image of angels. Hinata knew they weren't angels, however; they were her old schoolmates as viewed through the eyes of the Hyuuga bloodlimit.

The lumination was harsh and caused her head to throb. It wasn't because her sensitive retina couldn't handle the strain; she had been trained in the Hyuuga arts for longer than she could remember, after all. No, the light caused her pain because she knew that nothing good ever came from using the Byakugan.

In her nearly-conscious state, the details of her nightmares – as fearsome as she knew they had been – were obscured by her faulty memory. All Hinata knew was that Naruto, the shining apparition featured most prominently in her nocturnal visions, glowed the brightest and that they had been close to...something before another had appeared in his place.

This secondary person was the only feature of the dream that she couldn't make out. Instead of wallowing in the obscene light, the figure was shrouded in darkness that radiated from his body as the light had from the others in her dream. The figure, though unrecognizable, was an unexpected reprieve for the pounding between her ears. For the first time in her short life, Hinata reveled in the shadows.

Hinata knew that Sakura had also been part of her dream – Neji, too – but she didn't feel as if the dark figure could have been either of them. Neither had a personality that personified darkness. This person was someone different, someone...dominant.

The second that Hinata had turned into the dark cloud of humanoid miasma it had sucked her in. Wrapped her up in cloudy arms and pulled her close without enabling her to escape. This was the only part of her nightmare that Hinata could remember completely because, as she became entangled in the shadow-person's hold, she could feel the white-hot presence of Naruto behind her fading away...

By the time she had turned around, Naruto was gone.

"Come on, it's worth a try!"

'_Naruto-kun...?_' Hinata thought, her dreamy thoughts scattering into the oblivion of her handicapped memory.

"No!"

"Why not?"

"If you even have to ask, then you're more hopeless than I thought."

The half-slumbering Hyuuga heiress attempted to peel her sticky eyelids apart as another voice spoke within the vicinity. Though the rumbling timbre struck her as vaguely familiar, Hinata found herself unable to place it without visual confirmation. Unfortunately, her eyes wished to remain shut against her will, preventing her from making a positive identification.

"Girls love that kind of thing. Reminds them of all that romantic fairy tale shit."

"I'm not going to do it, dobe."

'_Sa...Sasuke-san...?_' Hinata's imagination ventured.

The crust sealing her eyes shut finally began to give way, enabling a little bit of light to leak through her eyelashes.

"_Just...try...it_!"

"Let go of me! Stop!"

"She'll like it, I swear!"

"Stop pushing, dobe! I'm not going to – "

Jolted into complete consciousness by the sudden instability of the foundation upon which she lay, Hinata emitted a startled squeak. Her body was lifted up and away from the spongy surface in a bounce before gravity and a heavier force pushed her back down, pinning her between two sturdy pillars.

Terribly frightened, Hinata's eyes flew open to stare straight into darkness.

"This...," Sasuke began, swallowing hard. His breath kissed her lips from a short distance. "Isn't...I didn't mean..."

She could feel the heavy heat of his body hovering directly above her own, but couldn't bring herself to look down to verify. Hinata feared that, if she were to behold the sight of a man laying almost on top of her, scouring the disturbing image from her mind would be impossible. Additionally (and most importantly), she would never be able to look at Naruto again without burning in self-disgust.

Hinata could feel the warm sting of tears in the corner of her eyes as she fought the wave of shameful nausea that overwhelmed her.

Sasuke's eyes, which had been wide in utter horror, slowly narrowed into a softer expression of remorse. "Hyuuga..."

"Aw, geeze, Sasuke," Naruto groaned somewhere out of sight. "You're not supposed to climb on _top_ of her. Save it for the second date."

At Naruto's teasing proclamation, Hinata's embarrassment reached a climax and she could think of only one thing to do; she screamed.

"_Aiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee_!"

— — —

**Authors Notes:** I might've gotten this chapter out sooner, but the hard drive in my laptop broke. My fault, naturally, so I have no room to complain, but I HAVE been rather...vexed by the whole ordeal. I've spent most of my time this week searching for alternative ways to type up my assignments and blaming myself, so the writing had to take a backseat. I've got a temporary laptop for now so my writing schedule should be more-or-less uninterrupted.

Honestly, I'm not terribly happy with how this chapter turned out. It seems choppy and unfocused, not to mention complete filler. I have one more filler chapter (Sakura's POV) to go before I can start getting into the matchmaking plot, so bear with me a little. Not to worry, though; I haven't lost interest in this story and shall do my utmost to update as frequently as I have done previously.

Additionally, I think my voice changed in this chapter. Might have something to do with watching _Pride & Predjudice_ while I was writing...n.n;

More SasuHina coming up shortly. And, don't worry, I'll go back to the angst before the end of the story.

Un-beta'd.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) . **_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	7. Mission Statement

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially _met_ in the series.  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – For nothing but fluffy insinuation, a bit of violence against Ichiraku's ramen stand and a couple naughty words here or there.  
**Spoilers: **Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary: **Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Have I introduced another one-sided love interest? Maybe...

* * *

**Chapter 7:** Mission Statement

Hyuuga Neji's eyes froze in the middle of the page he was scanning and ceased to absorb the written information. Slowly, he rolled his eyes upward to observe his two minions standing at attention before his compulsively neat desk. "The Uchiha?"

"That's right," the ANBU on the left confirmed, withdrawing her smart salute. She dropped her hand to her side and straightened her spine rigidly. "He was in the hospital room with Hinata-chan when the incident occurred. Judging by his close proximity to her, we assume that he was also the cause of the commotion."

Abandoning the pretense of busywork altogether, Neji leaned back and away from the documents spread across his low desktop to focus his full attention on the masked soldiers reporting to his command. "What were the circumstances of the incident?"

This time, the ANBU on the right answered the Hyuuga prodigy's question. "We didn't witness the event, but he was laying on top of her when we entered the room."

Neji could feel the corners of his eyes begin to twitch as the Byakugan fought to release itself. "On_ top_ of her?"

"Yes," the ANBU on the right agreed.

"Do you have any notion of his...motives?"

"Not exactly, but he_ is_ a young man in the spring of his life," the second ANBU replied, clenching his fist with passion. "Undoubtedly, his blood yearns for – "

"Never mind!" Neji held up a silencing hand to the masked shinobi, clenching his eyes shut to both suppress the Byakugan and scour the unbidden image of the thing Uchiha Sasuke's blood yearned for from his mind. "Just...keep an eye on Hinata-sama. Considering the suspicious reasoning behind Uchiha's return, I think it best that we keep him as far as possible from her."

The first ANBU ventured to ask, "Should one of us trail the Uchiha?"

"No," Neji didn't pause for a moment. "If his intended target is, indeed, Hinata-sama, then I want her under constant supervision. You will undoubtedly encounter the Uchiha in your pursuits without going through the effort of surveillance."

The two ANBU saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Without waiting for elaboration on their orders, they turned to leave.

"One moment," Neji called. The masked shinobi stopped and inclined their heads to listen. "Be discreet. Hinata-sama is not to know that she is being protected."

"Understood," the two soldiers chorused in unison, flashing their commanding officer a final salute.

Before Neji could even wave his hand to dismiss them, the two shinobi were gone.

The Hyuuga prodigy slid out from behind the low table he used as his desk and, with inborn grace, unfolded his legs to stand. He hoisted his slender body up and moved toward the window, crossing the room without a sound. Neji peered out into the bright November afternoon with his keen eyes narrowed and aristocratic brow furrowed in thought. '_Something's not right..._'

"Suzuki-san, come here for a moment."

The ANBU squad captain heard the shoji door behind him slide down its track before a soft, accommodating voice answered him. "Yes, Hyuuga-sama. How can I help you?"

"Call the hospital," he ordered, not breaking his eyes away from the streets outside. "I wish to speak with Haruno Sakura."

— — —

**Authors Notes: **I'm doing my best to finish up this story as soon as possible. I want to be able to both spend Thanksgiving with my family and start working on the sequel/prequel(s), so I'm going to do my best to wrap it up by this coming Tuesday. Not that I'm going to post all the chapters at once, oh no; I'm going to leave you a week in suspense for every one as if I were writing them as I go n.n

Everyone wish me luck!

Un-beta'd. Deal with it.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) . **_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	8. Don't Say It Like That!

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer:** I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially met in the series.  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – Cause it's about to turn pervy. (NOTE: I upped the ante again)  
**Spoilers:** Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary:** Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

And the plot thickens...

* * *

**Chapter 8:** Don't Say It Like That!

Slipping past the ANBU a second time had been more difficult than anticipated. Partly because of Hinata's startled wail, but mostly because the two masked shinobi were well trained tracking and killing machines of the highest caliber that couldn't be fooled more than once. Thanks to them, Sasuke wallowed in a reluctant newfound respect for Konoha's finest.

After an abbreviated battle in which all parties took a few nasty blows, Sasuke had managed to slip past them by the skin of his pearly-white teeth and (by the grace of any gods watching) escaped with only two cracked ribs, a split lip and a badly limping pride.

'_That taller one had an oddly familiar spin-kick..._,' the Uchiha prodigy mused, absently rubbing at his unmarred neck. He could feel the rough vestiges of the scar that had once plagued him, but there was no visual taint of Oroochimaru that remained after his death.

Of course, considering the circumstances, Sasuke almost wished for his old curse back again. Though Oroochimaru's evil hickey had its drawbacks (ie, the attempted theft of his body, corruption of his moral center, and a shit-load of pain), he still preferred it to his newest restraints. Damned Hokage.

Deciding to brood about his unfortunate slavery later, the Uchiha avenger turned to his companion to grouse about current circumstances. "Aren't you cold, dobe?" Sasuke complained, glaring at Naruto over the high collar of his sweater. He burrowed down into his heavy winter coat, cursing his poor circulation for failing to keep him warm. "We've been out here for two hours."

Naruto was crouched a few feet away from him, clothed in an uncharacteristic ensemble of all black. "Nope!" the kyuubi vessel chirped, his warm breath fogging up the glass he was leering through. He wiped the stain of condensation from the skylight to clear his view. "I've gotten so good at surveillance that I've built up a tolerance for cold, heat, rain, wind, sleet, snow, hail, lightning – "

"...meaning that you peep even in bad weather," Sasuke growled, wrinkling his reddened nose at his teammate.

Naruto didn't bother to look up from his post or verbally respond, but raised his middle finger to Sasuke behind his back.

"I thought you were going to...," Sasuke choked on the next word. "_help_ me. Why are we sitting on the roof of the bathhouse?"

Naruto put his crude gesture away and replied, "Because I heard from the friend of a sister of a good source that Hinata comes here on Wednesday nights."

Sasuke raised a dubious eyebrow. "What for? I'm sure there's a bath at the Hyuuga compound." ( 1 )

"I dunno," Naruto shrugged. "The friend of a sister of my source says it's supposed to be some sort of socialization exercise, or whatever."

"Fine, Hyuuga is probably here," Sasuke allowed. "I still don't understand what _we're_ doing here."

Naruto finally peeled his face away from the skylight, grinning in a way that made Sasuke somewhat uneasy. "You're going to 'save' her from a rampaging pervert."

Sasuke snorted derisively. "The only pervert I see around here is you."

"_Exactly_."

As it finally occurred to Sasuke what Naruto was about to do, he began to panic. "_No_! I don't want any part of this stupid scheme of yours."

"Why not? It'll be _so _easy," the kyuubi vessel assured him with a genial pat on the shoulder. "I'll sneak down into the women's baths, go after Hinata-chan, and you'll leap to the rescue just in the nick of time! She'll start falling all over you about how heroic you are and everyone goes home happy!"

"I won't let you do – "

"There she is!" Naruto cut him off, once again pressed against the rooftop window that allowed him a view of the women's side of the bathhouse. "She's wetting her hair. I'd better get down there before she starts to soap anything up."

As he reached to pull his cap down over his face, Sasuke intercepted. Snarling, he jerked Naruto backwards and away from the skylight. "I told you _no_, dobe! Are you deaf as well as terminally stupid?"

Naruto swatted Sasuke's hand away and scowled at his unwitting partner-in-crime. "I'm just trying to help! You can't get the girl without actually doing something!"

"I don't need your 'help,' dobe. I'll figure something out myself," Sasuke countered, making a swipe for Naruto again.

The kyuubi vessel leapt back and out of range, perched atop the skylight with his tongue flailing about in daring mockery. "Yeah, right! Now that you actually have to work for a girl's attention, you don't have the first clue! Scowling at Hinata-chan like you do all the other girls isn't going to work, you know!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke could feel his irritation raise to the next level of vexation; anger. To imply that he, Uchiha Sasuke, heartthrob of Konoha, couldn't impress a stupid girl if he so desired...well, it was outright preposterous! Not to mention insulting.

His neck throbbed painfully as his chakra level rose, but for once Sasuke felt out of control. Without thinking properly about it first, Sasuke spat, "I don't see hoards of girls stalking _you_. What the hell do you know about love?"

Naruto, who had obviously been working up some sort of asinine comeback, froze in his standoffish position. "'Love'?" he repeated, the word dribbling from his lips as they went slack. "You _love_ Hinata-chan?"

Immediately, Sasuke knew he had used the wrong turn of phrase. His face heated up in spite of the chilly atmosphere. "I didn't say that!"

"Yes you did!" Naruto pointed a finger in Sasuke's direction. It was trembling in accusation. "You said 'what the hell do I know about _love_,' or some shit like that! Which means that you _love_ Hinata-chan!"

"No, I – "

"Sasuke loves Hinata-chan!" Naruto laughed, doubled over. "Sasuke and Hinata-chan, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S – "

Finally allowing his better judgement to be overridden by baser impulses, Sasuke lunged at his offending foe and tackled him. They both fell further than anticipated, surrounded by shards of shattered glass, struggling for dominance in mid-air. Sasuke wasn't about to allow Naruto the upper hand and fought as if they were still enemies, managing to position himself on top as they finally landed.

Screams immediately erupted around them and the rapid pattering of bare feet was almost as deafening.

"Peeping Toms!"

"Perverts!"

"Help! Somebody, _help_!"

"Augh, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto croaked, grasping at the hands clasped around his throat. "Let go!"

Viciously, Sasuke squeezed harder. "Shut up!"

"Get...the hell...off...!"

"I _said_ shut up!" the Uchiha growled, freeing one of his hands to smack it across Naruto's face. "I'm not going along with any of your asinine plans! No girl would be dumb enough to – "

"Sasuke-san! _Stop_!"

Sasuke paused immediately as he felt someone grab the arm that was still firmly attached to Naruto. With his bicep so comfortably cushioned between two plush mounds of flesh and the warm, soothing scents of lavender and green tea pervading his olfactory senses, he knew it could only be one person.

Forcing himself to turn slowly lest he seem too eager, Sasuke found himself granted with a full view of a very _naked_ Hinata clinging to his arm.

"_Please_, Sasuke-san," she pleaded in a soft whisper, a pink blush melted across the apples of her cheeks. "Don't hurt N-Naruto-kun."

Her moony eyes _begged_ him to acquiesce to her wishes, partly shrouded behind the wet bangs that were clinging to her face. Her long hair was only partially damp and stuck to her skin by the water dripping down her body. Her smooth...pale..._voluptuous_ body.

Absently, Sasuke wondered why she hid so much of herself underneath all those layers of clothing. If it were up to him, she wouldn't even be permitted to wear the smallest shreds of fabric. The au naturel Hinata was, by far, the best version he'd seen yet.

"_Ugh_, gross!"

Startled, Sasuke returned his attention to Naruto, who had begun to struggle beneath him with a new vigor.

Wiping a red smear from his cheek, the kyuubi vessel moaned, "Go get a tissue, or something! You're bleeding like you've never seen a naked girl before!"

With the hand that wasn't weighed down by Hinata, Sasuke touched his upper lip. When he pulled his fingers away, they were coated in a thick layer of shining blood.

"Then again," Naruto purred, shifting to Sasuke's right to gain a better vantage of the Hyuuga heiress in all her nude glory. He waggled suggestive eyebrows at her. "I can't really blame him."

Another flash of sudden rage inspired Sasuke to lift Naruto's head and bash it into the tile floor, accidentally jarring Hinata backwards and away from his person. "Why the hell are you looking at her?" he demanded of the dazed kyuubi vessel.

Naruto didn't respond, his eyes swirling with little shuriken.

"I'm s-sorry that I'm n-not p-p-pretty enough f-for you, S-Sasuke-san," a quivering voice called from behind him.

Abandoning his abuse of the unconscious Naruto, the Uchiha inclined his head to address Hinata again. She was splayed out a few feet away from him, knees up in the air and drawn together, and lounging back on her hands. Undoubtedly, she had assumed this position when he had thrown her off, but Sasuke was willing to imagine that she was intentionally trying to seduce him.

"Huh?" was all he could think of to say.

Eyes cast to the side, Hinata bit her lip as she gathered words to respond. "P-please, d-don't hurt N-N-Naruto-kun because of m-me. You d-don't have to l-l-look."

It took another couple of confused moments for Sasuke to grasp the concept of what she was saying. When it finally occurred to him, his eyes widened a little in horror; '_She thinks that I don't..._'

Scrambling to climb off Naruto's chest, Sasuke turned fully to Hinata, searching for bumbling words to explain himself. "That's not what I – "

Interrupted again, Sasuke leapt backwards in the nick of time, barely avoiding the kunai that had buried itself in the molding tile that he had previously been standing on.

"Step away from Hinata-chan!" a sharp female voice demanded.

After flipping to safety near the doorway to the locker room, Sasuke looked up to face his newest adversary. He recognized the woman as a former member of Hyuuga Neji's team, despite her informal attire of bathhouse-issued towel. Her long sienna hair was pulled out of its usual style and fell around her shoulders in shiny waves, deceptively masking the true danger that she posed. He knew her as a weapons mistress, but it was hard to picture her as such in their current setting (and even more difficult to fathom where she might have hidden the kunai she had attacked him with; Sasuke rather hoped she would keep that information to herself).

Though he didn't remember her name (he had always been horrible with female names, he knew enough about her fighting style to realize that he shouldn't take her _too_ lightly.

"What are you doing here, Uchiha?" she demanded, twirling a second kunai between her practiced fingers. "This is the _women's_ bath."

"Whatever he's doing here," another voice interrupted, low and menacing. "I'm sure it's _Naruto's _fault."

Sasuke would recognize_ that_ tone anywhere; it was Sakura, and she was on the warpath.

Sasuke leapt away from the locker rooms, sensing that his former teammate was directly behind him. Indeed she was, green-ish flames licking at her barely-clothed body as she glared into the room.

How many people were going to be privy to his humiliation? Sasuke was beginning to feel that his situation was comprised of convenient plot devices, like in those girly comics he caught Sakura reading every so often. He didn't like this notion one bit; some ridiculous excuse of a fangirl-disguised-as-a-writer manipulating his fate was more than a little disturbing.

Sasuke shivered. He wasn't looking forward to falling asleep in a few hours.

Sakura's suspecting eyes darted from Naruto, to Sasuke, to Hinata, and finally to the cohort of Hyuuga Neji. She lingered the longest on Sasuke and the naked Hinata, who was shivering against the cold wall.

"Leave," she commanded Sasuke. Pointing at Naruto, she added, "And take that idiot with you."

Sasuke did as was told, never one to give up a chance to escape. All those years of being stalked by fangirls had taught him that much, at least.

Scooping Naruto up and throwing the kyuubi vessel over his shoulder, Sasuke allowed himself one last glance of Hinata. Now that the novelty of seeing her unclothed had abated (a little), he could see how earnestly she avoided looking at him.

'_Stupid dobe_,' the Uchiha prodigy thought, swallowing to remove the bitter taste from his mouth. It didn't help.

Leaving the girls behind, Sasuke exited with Naruto the way they'd come.

'_I knew this was a stupid idea..._'

--- --- ---

**Footnotes:**

( 1 ) Unlike in America, Japanese houses/apartments don't come standard with private bathrooms. Sure, you can find a house with such an amenity, but there are a lot of households that simply use public bathhouses for their hygienic needs, especially in urban areas. Sasuke assumes that the Hyuuga compound has full bathing capabilities because the family is so rich and the estate so vast.

I believe that the lack of a private bathroom is most prevalent in apartment buildings. Some of them are set up like dormitories (ie, one bathroom per hall/floor/building for all the residents to use) while others simply don't offer a bathroom at all. Hence the use of bathhouses.

Before you go off and assume that the Japanese have to walk down the street or something every time they have to pee, stop! They have toilets, just not bathtubs/showers. They generally have the equivalent of an American half-bath instead of the full-bath.

I could still go on about Japanese bathing habits, but I think all the information pertinent to this story has been covered. For more information, go to Google.

* * *

**Authors Notes:** The chapter is a little longer this time n.n And out a little earlier than expected! Hooray!

Sorry for the otherwise long wait, guys; multiple factors contributed to my procrastination. I had the tiniest bit of writers block for this chapter (I'm still a little disappointed with it, to be honest, had to participate in Thanksgiving festivities last week, and been stressing over school stuff. Now that I don't work on the weekends anymore, though, I should be able to get more done faster n.n Good news, yes?

Btw, the first two chapters of the prequel to this fic are now posted in my profile, in case you weren't aware. It helps explain how/why/when Sasuke fell for Hinata in greater detail than you're going to get in this story (though it will be mentioned again).

And this stupid document feature is REALLY starting to bug me --; I'm not a big fan of using text files since I lose my font attributes in posting, but I'm being forced to do so b/c ff. net is being stupid (again, GRR!). Bear with me if the structure/font attributes are a little wonky this chapter, folks; I'll do my best to fix them and repost soon.

Un-beta'd. Again.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	9. Inner Voices

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer:** I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially met in the series.  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – Cause it's about to turn pervy.  
**Spoilers:** Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary:** Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

I know, I'm late. Again.

* * *

**Chapter 9: **Inner Voices

"_Be at Ichiraku's ramen stand at noon tomorrow. They'll make their next move then."_

'_This is stupid_,' Sakura reminded herself for the four hundred and fifty-first time, taking a tentative sip of her steaming tea. Beneath the table, her foot beat impatiently against the leg of her chair. '_Sasuke-kun won't be here._'

Sakura lowered her mug down to the table, glancing at her bare wrist as if it could tell her how long she had been waiting. She had intentionally left her watch at home that morning, hoping that not being able to check the time every few seconds might alleviate a bit of stress. It wasn't helping.

"Excuse me," Sakura called to the waitress behind the counter, beckoning her over with a pleading hand. "Do you know what time it is?"

The girl glanced quickly at her watch. "Half-past eleven."

"Thanks."

Damn. She wouldn't be able to justify leaving for another thirty-one minutes.

"_Learn their plans and report back immediately. Do not – I repeat, do __**not**__ – intervene."_

The vague instructions passed on through her contact repeated themselves over and over. Sakura still couldn't believe that she had agreed to carry them out, no matter how much her own curiosity begged to be sated. Her sense of denial strongly protested her participation in this mission, frightened of learning things that it couldn't explain away.

Still, something about Hyuuga Neji's concern rang true. The way he had_ looked_ at her the other night...well, it sent chills up Sakura's spine.

"Sasuke-kun won't be here," Sakura muttered, muffling her words in her clenched hands. Saying it aloud helped little. "He won't be here."

"Welcome! How can I help you?"

"I just need to use the phone."

"250 yen minimum." ( 1 )

"Hmph," a derisive snort followed. "Fine."

Feeling queasy, Sakura turned on her stool, moving slow to avoid attracting attention from the target at the opposite end of the counter.

There he stood; Uchiha Sasuke, digging deep into his pockets for loose change.

For the first time all day, Sakura's denial didn't have anything to say.

**Footnotes:**

( 1 ) 250 yen – a little over 2 US dollars, 2.47 Canadian, 1.09 English pounds, approximately 1.64 Euro, etc. If I've forgotten your currency, sorry.

* * *

**Authors Notes:** Sorry it's taken me so long to update this week. The whole plagiarism thing kinda put me off my writing.

Next chapter should be longer and have more SasuHina action.

As usual, un-beta'd.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) . **_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	10. Call Me

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer:** I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially met in the series.  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – Cause it's about to turn pervy.  
**Spoilers:** Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary:** Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

See? I didn't forget...

* * *

**Chapter 10:** Call Me

"_This is stupid..._"

_Buzz-t._

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke's distant back, jutting his lip out in a derisive pout. Dipping his fingertips into his ear canal, he depressed a small button within and replied "If you're going to say that every time, then I'm going to stop helping and let you go embarrass yourself." The static from the miniature communication device sizzled against Naruto's eardrum, vibrating within his skull. An unrelated headache was beginning to throb between his temples. "And say 'over' when you're done talking. Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_Hmph. What a ridiculous waste of time._"

_Buzz-t._

"Just say it, Sasuke-teme. Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_I'll look like I'm talking to the little green government men living in my head if I say it. Most of the village already thinks I'm out to cannibalize their children._"

_Buzz-t._

"Hey, dog-breath was the one that started that rumor, not me. Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_I'm still not saying it."_

_Buzz-t._

"Say it or we abort. Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_You're an idiot._"

_Buzz-t._

"Say it. Over."

There was a short pause before Sasuke's irritated voice crackled through the static-ridden two-way radio. "_This is stupid. Over._"

_Buzz-t._

"That's more like it." Naruto snickered. "And my plan isn't stupid, stupid. It's going to work. Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_You said that the last time. Over._"

"And it worked. Sort of." Naruto rubbed a sheepish hand against the back of his neck, grinning lopsidedly. "Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_Yeah, except now she thinks that I find her ugly. Over._"

_Buzz-t_.

"That's why we're doing this. There's no way that she'll think that you think she's ugly if my plan works. Which it will. Over."

_Buzz-t._

Another long pause of static snapped and popped over the airways. "_Somehow, I'm not convinced._"

_Buzz-t._

Naruto was beginning to feel annoyed by Sasuke's negativity. Reminding himself that his future with Sakura rode on Sasuke's happiness with Hinata, Naruto took a deep breath and willed his nerves to stop rubbing against one another. "Look, just trust me, okay? All you have to do is make one little phone call and Hinata-chan will forget the whole bathhouse thing, realize that she's in love with your grumpy-ass self, and everyone will live happily ever after. Over."

_Buzz-t. _

As an afterthought, Naruto depressed the little button within his ear again and said "And say 'over' when you're done talking, you bastard. Over."

Naruto brought his binoculars up to his nose and peered through the eyepieces, fervently wishing that the second phase of their "Get-Hinata-chan-to-love-that-stupid-creepy-bastard-Sasuke" (or GHLSCBS, for short) mission were also taking place at a location at which women felt comfortable getting naked with one another. Instead, he was staking out Ichiraku's Ramen House, which didn't do anything for him from the branches of a tree.

"This is all for Sakura-chan," he reminded himself over and over as he watched Sasuke lift the flap of material over the entrance to the ramen shop. The Uchiha meandered inside at his usual lazy pace and approached the counter, as planned. "All for Sakura-chan..."

"Are we in? Over."

"_Yes._"

_Buzz-t._

"_Over,_" Sasuke added.

_Buzz-t._

Naruto grinned and swept the immediate area for possible dangers to the mission objective. No ANBU...no Sakura...no creepier-than-Sasuke Team 8 rejects...perfect. "All clear to proceed. Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_What was the number again? Over_."

_Buzz-t._

Naruto groped through all of his pockets before locating a scrap of paper with barely-legible numbers scrawled across it. Naruto reported them to Sasuke, eyes narrowed in an effort to identify them. "704-346-831...2? Could be a five. Over."

_Buzz-t._

"_I'm feeding you the signal now. Over._"

_Buzz-t._

There was a series of metallic clicks and beeps before the signal cleared and a soft, computerized ringing thrummed over the line, uninterrupted by manual interference. Thanks to the little eavesdropping device that Naruto had bribed Konohamaru to "borrow" for him from Iruka, listening in on Sasuke's call would be disgustingly simple. If the Hinata-lovin' creepazoid messed up, it would be even simpler for Naruto to override Sasuke's signal and take over. Not that Sasuke knew that, of course.

After about three rings, there was a soft click, a moment of dead air, and then someone on the other end of the line answered. "_Hi, thanks for calling the Yama – _"

The signal cut out for a few seconds, obliterating the feminine voice at the other end of the phone line. With a couple curses and a few adjustments, Naruto clarified the conversation again.

" – _speaking. How may I help you?_"

Sasuke replied instantly, carrying on through the technical difficulties. "_Hey, baby. I've been thinking about you._"

"_Who is this?_"

"_You know me._" Sasuke paused, as instructed, for effect. "_I'm in your bed every night while you dream._"

"_Tell me who you are or I'm calling the cops, freak._"

Sasuke laid it on thick with the sultry voice they'd been practicing. "_I'm your destiny, kitten._"

"..._Sasuke-kun? Is that you?_"

Naruto frowned, drawing his eyebrows together in the center of his forehead. Since when did Hinata call Sasuke anything other than "-san"?

Sasuke didn't respond for a few seconds. When he did, his voice had returned to its usual cold, suspicious timbre. "_Who is this?_"

"_It __**is**__ you, honeybunchkins!" _There was a piercing squeal over the line. Naruto had to remove the earpiece from his ear canal before it rendered him deaf.He turned down the volume before putting it back in. _"It's so __**sexy**__ that you called me at a public place, you naughty, naughty boy, you! You really shouldn't talk dirty while I'm at the flower shop, though. My parents could be listening in!_"

Naruto waited for Sasuke to butt in and cut the girl off, but he didn't. Taking another peek through his binoculars, he could see Sasuke within the ramen shop, holding his own earpiece as far away from his head as possible.

Technology had its down sides, Naruto decided. As cool as their little spy-gadget was, filtering the sound through the ear buds and directly into their ears had proved to be a dangerous health risk.

"_So why don't we save this for tonight and – _"

_Click._

There were a few brief seconds of muffled rustling as Sasuke returned the earpiece to its proper place. "_It wasn't a two, dobe,_" he snapped.

"Yeah, I got that." Naruto combed through his unruly spikes with his fingers and sighed. "Try the five."

"_You forgot to say 'over.'_"

Snarling in a very canine-way, Naruto snapped "Shut up and try the damned five!"

— — —

**Authors Notes:** I hope that nobody feels shortchanged because this chapter was mostly dialogue. What can I say? Dialogue is my favorite part of writing **n.n**

For those of you who didn't catch my hints, Sasuke and Naruto accidentally called the Yamanaka flower shop. I couldn't find a way to give Ino's name without the dialogue sounding stupid, so I hope that most of you got it. Those of you who didn't manage to catch it can go back and look for the context clues.

Sorry I didn't update last week **n.n; **My birthday was on the eighth, my exams ended on the thirteenth, I left for Michigan on the fifteenth, and I was visiting with my boyfriend's family for most of last weekend. I've been writing for the last couple of days, hence the rest of the delay. Suffice to say, I've had a busy week and a half **n.n; **I didn't forget my chapter for a single day, though, rest assured.

Also, there is a second part to "Phase Two" of the "Sasuke-Loves-Hinata" mission, so don't worry; more hilarity is coming. I just wanted some of this one to be in Hinata's POV (it'll be funnier that way) so I chopped the segment in half. I expect to update in another week.

I'd guess about three to five more chapters to go before this story is utterly complete. I've got a sequel in mind, so don't think it ends there.

Augh, long Authors Notes. Sorry. Un-beta'd.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	11. Call Me Phase Two

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer:** I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially met in the series.  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – Cause it's about to turn pervy.  
**Spoilers:** Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Warnings: **Some rather...crude pickup lines are forthcoming in the chapter. If you're as innocent and pure as the newly fallen snow, you probably won't get any of them anyway. If you have the full series of _Iccha-Iccha Paradise_, than you'll probably enjoy them. If you're somewhere in between, then I'm very sorry for my warped sense of humor.

**Summary:** Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

After much anticipation...

* * *

**Chapter 11:** Call Me – Phase Two

_Brrring!_

"Comphing!"

_Brrring!_

"I'm coming! Don't hang up!" Hinata shouted, removing the damp towel from the wet, tangled mess of hair falling haphazardly around her face and shoulders. She dropped the piece of wet terrycloth to the floor as she dove onto her bed, reaching for the phone laying out of its cradle on her nightstand.

_Brrring!_

Hinata grasped for the phone and, finally managing to clasp her slippery hand around the device, pulled it towards her. Depressing the button branded with the word 'talk,' the heiress brought the phone up to her ear and, holding up the powder blue towel wrapped around her body with her free hand, answered the call in her usual polite tone. "Hello, Hyuuga r-residence. Hinata s-speaking."

"Is this the lady of the house...?" a soft, vaguely heated voice on the other end of the line replied.

"Um...y-yes," Hinata agreed, having never mastered the ability to lie to unwanted callers. Because of this deficiency she had once accidentally ordered almost 60,000 yen worth of magazines (the worst part of the entire incident being that she didn't even _read _magazines). ( 1 ) "H-how can I help you?"

"I'm doing a survey," the voice replied, deepening in timbre until it seemed to purr. "Would you mind answering a few questions for me?"

"I don't m-mind," Hinata agreed, rolling over onto her back to stare at the white ceiling and the fan swirling above her. She combed her fingers through her wet hair, spreading it across her pillow to let it dry more effectively, and worked hard to suppress the memories that had forced her to start using her home bath instead of her preferred public one. Luckily, the phone call provided an adequate distraction. "P-please, continue."

"How tall are you on your knees?"

Hinata thought about it for a second, focusing more on the extracting the fingers she had caught in a snare while pulling them through her dark locks. "Um...I don't know. I think...about f-four feet?"

There was a silent pause on the line which caused Hinata to wonder whether or not anyone was still there or not.

Wriggling her fingers free at last, she called out to the person on the other end of the line. "H-hello...?"

"Ahem," the person coughed to ensure Hinata that he was still there. "Have...have you ever played leap frog?"

"Yes," she admitted, though it had never been one of her favorite games; somehow, she always ended up with her face planted in the ground.

"Naked?"

It was Hinata's turn to pause. Sitting straight up on her bed, her hair falling in thick chunks down her back, she stammered "E-excuse me?"

"Nothing," the voice replied quickly, dropping the smooth, oily purr for the moment. When the person spoke again, he had re-adopted the strange, off-putting tone. "Did you know that there are 256 bones in your body?"

Scooting backwards to lean her mostly bare back against her headboard, Hinata tried vainly to ignore the unsettling feeling swelling in her chest. She answered honestly, though she wasn't sure what would come of it. "No, I d-didn't."

"Would you like one more?"

Hinata didn't quite understand what the caller meant by that question, but the unsettled feeling intensified all the same, making her feel slightly nauseous. There was something just...not...right about this 'survey.' "I d-don't know what you mean...How could I f-fit another b-bone in my b-body?"

Holding the phone far away from her ear, Hinata stared at the receiver with bewilderment at the caller's sudden coughing fit. When he seemed to have calmed down again, she replaced the earpiece back in its proper position. "A-are you alr-right?"

"Fine," the voice replied. "Just one more question."

"O-okay..."

"Do you mind if I stare at you up close or do I have to stand outside your window all day?"

CRASH!

The handset phone broke into several pieces as it collided with the door on the far side of the room. Amidst the fractured pieces of plastic, the sound of a steady dial tone could be heard, proving severance of Hinata's connection with the frightening caller.

A soft breeze rustling her superficially dry hair caused Hinata to jump and look towards one of several of her bedroom windows, which was fully open to allow the mild autumn sunlight in.

Too scared to activate her Byakugan and determine for certain whether or not there was a stranger leering inside from out, Hinata grasped her bath towel firmly between both of her hands and ran panicked from the room.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

( 1 ) 60,000 yen approximately 500 US dollars.

The best (or perhaps worst) part about this chapter is that I've FINALLY gotten an outlet to make fun of my friend in (aside from the usual mockery, anyway). That's right; a friend of mine ACTUALLY bought nearly $500 worth of magazines from a telemarketer. And, no, she doesn't read magazines. Luckily, her mother managed to get her out of it. Hehe...

* * *

**Authors Notes: **I'll bet y'all thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? Well, I didn't, I just haven't been up to writing for the last couple of months. I got through exams, went to the beach, had a month-long visit from Nic and started a summer job so I guess you could say I was distracted. But, sensing my summer break coming to a close at last, I decided to start writing again. If I'm lucky I can get this story finished before (or soon after) the start of the semester and start working on something else **n.n**

Btw, this chapter (and the one previous) was based on an actual creepy phone call I received first semester of my sophomore year, though, obviously, the details have been changed. Real life stuff makes for the best writing, doesn't it?

Also, I'm very sorry if this chapter is unsatisfactory; got to get back into the swing of things, don'tchaknow. I fully intend to do better next time **n.n**

As per my former standard, this chapter is un-beta'd.

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) . **_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


	12. Tell Me Everything

**Title:** Speak Up  
**Disclaimer:** I'm not entirely sure if Sasuke and Hinata have even officially met in the series.  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – Cause it's about to turn pervy.  
**Spoilers:** Umm...I guess I've given away that Sakura becomes a medic-nin, does that count?

**Summary:** Naruto shook her off and confronted Sasuke again, "Not until he apologizes and promises to leave Hinata-chan alone!" SasuHinaNaru.

Back on schedule.

* * *

**Chapter 12:** Tell Me Everything

"_Suzuki-san!_"

Hyuuga Neji was in a rare towering rage. It was more anger at himself than anything; his plan to sit back quietly and allow his ANBU and unwitting spy to take care of this whole Uchiha mess was a massive failure, due in great part to the miscalculation of his enemy's capabilities.

Neji stood in his favorite spot, glaring out his high office window at the crowded Konoha streets, awaiting an answer from his slow to respond secretary (who he, in his temper, felt was not earning her minimum wage at all).

After a few more seconds of undisturbed silence, Neji shouted for her again, allowing his voice to rise higher than he usually found acceptable. "_SUZUKI-SAN!_"

There was a loud rustling of heavy fabric outside his door and a quick clattering of wood upon track before Suzuki-san made her presence known. "Yes, Hyuuga-sama. How can I be of service?"

He turned to see her crouched against the floor in a low, servile bow. She was hiding her intimidation at his outburst rather well, which was at least one point in her favor.

"Suzuki-san," Neji said, adopting his usual quiet, commanding tone once again. "Page Sakura-san at the hospital. Immediately."

"Yes, Hyuuga-sama," Suzuki-san agreed readily, dipping lower for an instant so that her forehead grazed the floor. "Immediately, Hyuuga-sama."

As she made to close the door behind her, Neji grabbed her attention again. "Suzuki-san."

"Yes, Hyuuga-sama?" Suzuki-san paused in sliding the door closed, her hands clasping the bamboo edge of the shoji in a tight grip. Her hands trembled, causing the door to rattle slightly in its track.

Neji could see by the sickly pallor of her skin that she was afraid he was going to yell at her again. Uncaring and unamused by her lack of nerves, he continued on as if he hadn't noticed at all. "Once you get Sakura-san on the phone, you may take your lunch. You have two hours to use as you wish."

"Yes, Hyuuga-sama." Suzuki-san bowed again, dusting her dark, spidery bangs against the tatami matting. She closed the door behind her and, as her silhouette indicated, scrambled to her feet in a manner that lacked her usual amount of grace. Neji watched her shadow as it strode quickly across the paper screens and disappeared around the corner.

As he waited for Suzuki-san to connect him to his contracted spy, Neji began to pace his office. He wasn't used to being restless and wasting time simultaneously, however, and soon found himself sitting at his desk looking for some kind of paperwork to keep him occupied until Suzuki-san alerted him to his anticipated phone call.

Just as Neji was about to settle down with a boring mission report detailing the attempted assassination of the Water Hokage's great-great granddaughter, an unobtrusive buzz sounded from his phone. Dropping the file as if it were on fire, Neji reached out and depressed the button labeled "intercom" before speaking. "Yes, Suzuki-san?"

Suzuki-san's soft voice spoke to him through the intercom, warped and distorted by the device. "Sakura-san for you on line one, Hyuuga-sama."

"Thank you, Suzuki-san," Neji replied, vaguely wondering if he sounded as relieved as he felt. "You may leave now. Thank you."

"Yes, Hyuuga-sama."

The intercom line disconnected and – though he was anxious to continue with his business – Neji waited a couple of minutes to give Suzuki-san enough time to physically leave the office. Leaning over to the right in his desk, Neji watched the warped, oblong shadow that was Suzuki-san rustle around in her desk and then leave through the main entrance to their suite.

Satisfied that his secretary was finally gone, Neji picked up the phone receiver and pressed the button labeled "Line One" on the base. "Hyuuga Neji."

Haruno Sakura's voice answered his curt, business-like reception. "_This is Sakura. You wanted to speak to me?_"

"Yes, Sakura-san. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly," Neji said, continuing with the mocking facade of his usual formalities. "I received a...disturbing phone call from the Main House a few minutes ago. I don't suppose you know what it was about."

The line was quiet for a moment before Sakura answered. "_No, I don't_," was her simple answer. The lack of queries about the mentioned call was suspicious in and of itself, but sources of Neji's inside Ichiraku's Ramen Shop made her guilt all the more conspicuous.

"Tell me, how did the surveillance go this afternoon? Do you have anything to report?" he asked, giving her another chance to absolve herself of responsibility.

This time, Sakura's answer was immediate. "_No, nothing to report. He didn't even show up._"

"Really?" Neji snapped, his patience wearing thin against his nerves. "Then why do my sources tell me that, not only was Uchiha Sasuke at Ichiraku's Ramen Shop at eleven-thirty this morning, but he also made two phone calls?"

Sakura was silent on the line.

In the absence of her commentary, Neji continued. "Additionally, I've had word from the Main House that Hinata-sama received a phone call at eleven-thirty-seven that quite frightened her. She was apparently so upset that the housing staff was forced to give her a tranquilizer to calm her enough to reveal what had happened. Do you have anything to report now?"

After a moment, Sakura admitted "_Okay, Sasuke-kun was there. But I only saw him make one phone call; after the first, he started complaining to the management that the phone was suddenly out of order._"

"You don't expect me to believe – "

"_But it's true, I swear!_" Sakura interrupted, anger seething from her voice. "_After he hung up the first call, he started muttering to himself and deposited change for another one. But he picked up the phone, dialed, and then started banging the handset against the wall! He scared the waitress so bad I wouldn't be surprised if she'd wet herself._"

Neji's eyes narrowed as a new suspicion entered his mid. "Tell me; did he put a finger in his ear?"

"_Uh...what?_"

"Just answer me; did he put his finger in his ear between phone calls?" Neji snapped, frustrated at Sakura's apparent inability to answer a simple question. His ANBU soldiers never gave him such trouble; they always answered promptly and with due respect toward their superior.

"_I think...yeah, yeah he did, actually. I remembered thinking that I had Q-tips in my purse if he needed th – _"

"Yes, thank you," Neji interrupted. "That will be quite enough."

"_Sorry_," Sakura replied, though he could tell she really wasn't.

"Indeed," he said, sniffing disdainfully. After a moment of quick thought, Neji came to a decision. "You are officially no longer spying on Uchiha Sasuke."

"_What? Wait! I can – _"

Cutting her off mid-sentence yet again, Neji continued. "I have a new assignment for you. This one will require far less...stealth."

* * *

**Authors Notes:** Wow, not only did I update again, but I've posted twice in twenty-four hours! I believe that's a record...

Anyway, this is where the plot thickens for our little group. Expect a couple more chapters of half-baked espionage and humor sometime this week or next. In the meantime, I really need to get ready for work! Enjoy!

Oh, and I hope that this chapter was far more satisfactory than the last.

Still un-beta'd, but cleaned up a little since its initial post.

**PS: **YAY! I no longer have to use text files to upload here **n.n** This makes me so obscenely happy.

_**. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) . **_

– _Love can be black and white. SasuHina._


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